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Screening for microplastic particles in plankton samples: How to integrate marine litter assessment into existing monitoring programs?
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Researchers monitored microplastic abundance in zooplankton net samples, finding 100–10,000 particles per cubic meter with no consistent seasonal or depth pattern. The study proposes that existing zooplankton monitoring programs could be adapted to simultaneously track microplastic pollution at relatively low additional cost.
Microplastics (MPs) are a newly recognized type of environmental pollution in aquatic systems; however no monitoring of these contaminants is conducted, mostly due to the lack of routine quantification. In the net samples collected with a 90-μm WP2 net, pelagic MP abundance was quantified by light microscopy and evaluated as a function of inshore-offshore gradient, depth, and season; the same samples were used for zooplankton analysis. The MP abundance was ∼10(2)-10(4)particlesm(-3), with no significant inshore-offshore gradient during summer but increasing offshore in winter. MP abundance in deeper layers was positively affected by zooplankton abundance in the upper layers and significantly lower during winter compared to summer. These findings indicate heterogeneity of MP distribution due to biotic and abiotic factors and suggest that samples collected for other purposes can be used for quantification of MPs in the Baltic Sea, thus facilitating integration of MP assessment into existing monitoring schemes.
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By sampling marine water simultaneously with 333 µm and finer nets, researchers demonstrated that standard 333 µm sampling nets miss the majority of microplastics present, with finer nets capturing orders of magnitude more particles and revealing severe underestimation in existing abundance data.
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Researchers examined zooplankton samples collected from Portuguese coastal waters between 2002 and 2008 and found microplastics in a proportion of the samples, providing early retrospective evidence of microplastic contamination in Atlantic zooplankton. The study shows that plastic contamination of coastal zooplankton communities predates the recent surge of research attention.
Zooplankton exposure to microplastics at the global scale: Influence of vertical distribution and seasonality
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Researchers compiled a global dataset of variables used to model zooplankton exposure to microplastics, incorporating vertical distribution and seasonality factors to better characterize how different zooplankton depth preferences and seasonal migration patterns influence the degree of microplastic contact across ocean regions.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.